Budapest Daily Review

Domaine Gróf Zichy is one of two premium brands of Twickel Wine Estate of Szekszárd.

The base material of the wines consists of grapes grown on the best located vineyards and the low harvested quantity per hectare is coupled with intensive grape selection and delicate grape processing.

Still according to the winery’s website, wines are matured for a long time, using the highest quality wood and barrique barrels.

The wood barrel maturing of the wines lasts at least 12 months and maturing takes place in the best quality wood and barrique barrels. Maturing in the wood barrels is followed by an equally long period of bottled maturing period.

The review

Medium-deep purplish Merlot with a rich blackberry nose mingled with plum and high-toasted barrel notes. Appealing palate of young and fresh acidity with just a hint of bitterness which leads to a short finish. There’s substance here with blackberry and plum mainly, relatively well integrated into a medium body. Nicely textured with soft but not too ripe tannins. Good balance with just a tiny alcohol at the end. Not a complex wine but a pleasant drink. And this wine will age well for another 2-3 years, so this is a potentially 6 points wine.

Score: 5, 5+

Price: HUF 2 300 - 2 700

Following the white wines I’m going to share with you know my notes from the on-site tasting at the Bodri Pincészet.

Bodri – Kadarka, 2007

Very nice fig color! Slightly darker than a typical Kadarka.

The pleasant nose carries notes of cherry and sour cherry.

On the palate the medium tannic acidity is a bit too much for the small body, especially that no fruits can be found there. It has an unpleasant sherry-like finish. I can’t read the rest of my notes, I’m very sorry.

Score: 4+ points

Bodri - Pinot Noir, 2007

A brownish fig color.

Car-leather nose with cognac accent, quite elegant.

On the palate lot of cherry and velvety tannins with a brandy/Port-wine-like underpinning. The 13,5% alcohol is fine here.

Score: 5

Bodri – Bikavér, 2005

50% Kékfrankos, 20% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5-5% Zweigelt and Kadarka make this Bikavér quite confusing, with dark color but a lively move. It’s a bit woody with nice, although deft tannins not yet smooth and with chalky leather and red beet elements on the palate. With time, tobacco too. The wine could have more body.

Score: 4 points

Bodri – Kékfrankos, 2006

Phosphoric nose, woody on the palate.

Bodri, Kékfrankos Szelekcio, 2004

Brick color with ruby accent. More elegant on the nose and on the palate too with smooth, almost oily tannins. Intense cherry, berry fruit and peppermint nose and alcohol (14%), medium body.

Score: 5, 6- points

Bodri – Optimus, 2006

This cuvéé (20% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon) has a less intense, less fruity, instead smoky nose with some tobacco, leather and chocolate. More elegant than the Kékfrankos Selection. This full-bodied wine has smoother tannins.

Score: 6, 6- points

Bodri – Merlot, 2004

Bodri did not make Merlot in 2005 but he’s still got bottles left from 2004.

Pleasant nose. Full-bodied wine but a bit woody on the palate. Burning alcohol, along with residual sugar.

Score: 6 points

It’s difficult to avoid to have high expectations if you open a bottle of Merlot from a legendary winemaker even from a not so good vintage. Bock József is one of the best known winemakers who gained his reputation for making some of the revolutionary wines in the nineties (well, with Hungarian standards, of course). I still have a bottle of his Royal Cuvée from 1996, which I found too old 2 years ago when I last opened one, but it’s still nostalgic and an interesting experience. Fortunately even most medium quality red wines’ qality from the new millennium exceed the quality of most “legendary” reds from the nineties. But for those who started to enjoy Hungarian wines in the nineties it’s always gonna be nostalgic to remember those days. But let’s leave nostalgy for another entry, I still keep a dozen or two bottles from that decade so I hope we can discuss them later.

The review

Surprisingly brick color, it looks much older than it is actually. Brick and stewed cherry.

Another surprise to me is the oily texture, the wine is literally slicing in the glass. The wine reminds me of Iporos 2006, a 91 points Parker wine which I did not like that much.

Very ripe cherry taste and lot of wood both is smell and in taste. It’s tannins remain harsh even after an hour. Just like in the nineties. Lot of wood.

I got a bit sentimental in the intro of this post I know. And this wine isn’t even that different from the Bock wines in the nineties. And I know he can do much better than this.

Score:5, 5+

Price: I don’t know how much I paid for it back then. The 2006 costs 13 euros. That would be way too much for the 2002. My perception is that most Bock wines are now overrated. Well, they’ve always been, but some of them are really good at least.